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Brussels must resist political influence in Google investigation - IoD

16 Apr 2015

Commenting on the European Commission’s announcement today that it is investigating Google for alleged antitrust violations, Allie Renison, Head of EU and Trade Policy at the Institute of Directors, said:

“The European Commission should take care to ensure that its investigation focuses on substantive breaches of EU competition law and not be dragged into a politically motivated protectionist battle with the US.

“While we applaud the EU’s robust approach to enforcing competition in the Single Market, it is important that EU institutions resist kneejerk reactions to the complaints of individual member states. The risk is that such a move could in fact be disadvantageous to the whole of Europe in relation to the generation of much-needed inward investment into the growing digital sectors.

“Consumer preferences and the quality of a company’s products and services are what drive demand, and it is essential that the investigation’s approach remains free from any external political influences.”